Earlier this year, the Pennsylvania legislature took action to ban bath salt drugs by passing Senate Bill 1006. The new law amended the state's Controlled Substance, Drug and Cosmetic Act by adding several of the synthetic drugs in bath salts to the act's list of banned narcotics substances (for more information about the state law and the banned substances, see one of our earlier blog posts on the topic).

Now, the federal Drug Enforcement Administration has enacted a similar ban on the bath salt drugs. Under the new regulations, three of the most common ingredients in bath salts will be illegal throughout the United States for one year. These ingredients are mephedrone, methylenedioxypyrovalerone, and methylone. DEA officials say that this temporary ban will give them time to conduct trials and to determine whether the ban should be made permanent.

Contrary to the name, bath salts are not bath products at all, but are a synthetic drug product that is believed to mimic the effects of cocaine, methamphetamines, or LSD. Users of the drugs have reported experiencing powerful hallucinations, and delusions. Other reported side effects of the drugs include an increase in blood pressure, agitation, and extreme paranoia.

Bath salts first arrived in the U.S. about two years ago, and quickly grew in popularity as a completely legal alternative to illegal narcotics. Because of the ever-changing legal status of the drugs, people who are arrested for possession or distribution of the drugs should contact an experienced criminal defense attorney to help them determine which law applies to them.

Source: PBS, "New Ban on Bath Salts After 'People Started Dying From It'," Jason Kane, Oct. 25, 2011